sometimes i forget.

i'm in the process of writing a paper. it's for my "advanced social psychology" class. and it's due thursday. my father would be very proud of me...because i inherited something called "procrastination"...so the fact that i'm working on this paper on monday would be something that dad wouldn't really believe.

anyway, i'm reviewing research on my topic. it's something called "self fulfilling prophecies" or in the school setting it's commonly referred to as "teachers perceptions" or "learned helplessness". basically, it's how teachers views of students tint or influence how they treat students...therefore affecting the student's classroom performance...and one could argue...their lives.

it's not fair to put all the blame on teachers. we all do it. it's in how we perceive things around us. the homeless person on the street. the kid with behavior problems. the person in jail. i could go on and on.

i'm sitting here. writing this paper, and getting inspired. sometimes i forget why i love my field. lately with all the crud at school...i've forgotten. i've been so bogged down in what i have to do...what i have to get finished...that i forget why i'm in this. i forgot why i want so much to work as an advocate for kids.

over christmas, my mother gave me and spencer each a piece of art. it's by mary anne radmacher. she's a writer and an artist. my poster is called "because of one child". it says...

people ask, "why do you work so hard for your students?" there are so many things i could say but the answer must be -- because of one child.

i swim through seas of papers with colored pens as paddles. seeking to improve without dispiriting, to point a better way without losing their enthusiasm.

because of one child, i seek my own reserves and provide opportunities which would otherwise be lost. because of one child, i will spend my time generously - as if i had a lifetime of such days. i will see the whole of the world from a small hill and will believe against convention, in "impossible results".

at the end of the teaching day i leave the classroom but i am still, and shall ever be, a teacher. time ago i was that child for whom such commitment made a difference. i will dedicate my days confident my efforts matter.

because of one child.

i love this print. i'm not a teacher. but much like a teacher, i'm an advocate for children. and too often, we don't see them for what they really are. here's to remembering that. and treating them as equals. asking them their opinions. believing in their talents, in their abilities.

have wonderful days. back to the paper...